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Bowe 4’ 


Hh VOL fL..... eG XV. 


3 THE BER. 


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being armed with asting. This genus’is called by natu- 
ralists apes, and there are no other genera of insects 
which comprehend a greater number or variety. In this 
article our attention will be directed to but one species, 
the common honey or domesticated bee. ‘ow 
Almost from time immemorial this useful little, insect 
has attracted the attention and the admiration of man. 
Treatises respecting its habits, and the mode of its culti- 
vation, are frequently found from the pens of the ancient 
classic writers. And their poetry is interspersed with 
images and illustrations drawn from their domestic econ- 
omy. ‘The bee is found in almost every country, and sips 
honey alike from the flower which blooms in the city and 
the wilderness. ti 

In the warmer latitudes where a meridian sun adorns 
the landscape with almost perpetual bloom, this little in- 
sect finds its most congenial- home. It revels amid the 
luxuriant vegetation of the tropics with but little care 
fork the hand of culture, and ther abundant produce 
the richest luxuries. 

The skill, the industry, and the wonderful order preserv- 
ed by these little animals, have excited much astonishment, 


and their history is replete with interest and instruction. 


_ The sagacity which they manifest is perhaps surpassed. 
by that of no other animal. Their little empire is gov. 


Q- 


VOL. Il. —NO. Xv. 29 


224933 . 


as , sty! } nl 
ae ee, ¢ wy ty Pe ‘re at, 


338 THE BEE, 


erned by laws more unvaried than those of the Medes 
and Persians, and even the most iudustrious of our spe- 
cies may learna lesson from the persevering diligence of 
this little insect. The skillin workmanship, which the 
arrangement and construction of their cells exhibit, is 
truly wonderful. And the amount of honey which they 
collect in one season, shows with what unwearied dili- 
gence they pursue their toils. ‘ When the day is fine and 
the sun shining brightly, the habitation of these marvel- 
lous little creatures exhibits the aspect of a populous 
and busy city. The gates are crowded with hundreds of 
industrious workers —some on the wing in search of 
sustenance ; others returning from the field laden with 
food —some earnestly engaged in building — some in 
tending the young — others employed in cleansing t heir 
habitation — while four or five may be seen dragging out 
the corpse of a companion, and, as it would appear, seru- 
pulously paying the last honors to the dead. At one mo- 
ment the entrances of the little city are comparatively 
free ; at another, crowds of its inhabitants may be seen 
struggling at the gates, making the best of their way to 
escape from the rain, which by some peculiar sensation 
they have discovered to be at hand. It can therefore ex- 
cite no wonder that the habits of these interesting insects 
should have attracted the attention of some of the 
best observers of ancient and of modern times.’ Prob- 
ably honey was long used before bees were domesticated. 
Innumerable swarms were continually depositing their 
precious stores in the groves of Palestine, so that the land 
was said to flow with milk and honey. History does not 
inform us when these industrious little insects were 
brought from their native grove tolabor for man. But 
now in all parts of the civilized world the cheerful hum 
of the bee is heard in the farm yard. Long and careful 
examination of their habits hasswept away fabulous stories 
engendered by imagination, and has brought to light the 
real history of the bee, replete with interest and wonder. 


THE STRUCTURE OF THE BEE. 


* 


In every hive or swarm of bees there are three classes. 
1. A female, or queen bee. 2. Males, or drones, which 


L 


THE BEE. ' - 339 


dono work. 3. The common working bees, which are 
supposed to be of no sex. These three classes are so 
different from each other that they are very easily distin- 
guished. ‘There is butone queen bee in each swarm 
and she is the prolific mother of many thousands. She is 
larger in every respect than the common working bee, 
and longer, though not so large in the trunk as the male. 
The queen bee is distinguished from the working bee 
simply by the size. There is a little difference in color 
but this is so small that it is not easily distinguished. 
The belly of the queen bee is of a lighter color than 
that of the working bee, but that is a part of the body 
which is not often exposed. When a hive is killed, by 
spreading the bees upon white paper, the queen by her 
size and color may be easily found. The queen has a 
sting similar to the working bee. The male bee is larg- 
er than the laborers, and is considerably thicker than the 
queen. His proboscis appears not to be formed for col- 
lecting honey for it is much shorter than that of the work- 
ing bee. He is never found abroad on flowers, and is not 
provided with asting. There are but few males in the 
hive, some state the number to be four or five hundred; 
others suppose it to be much less. 

The class of laboring bees, is the largest in number, 
there being in a common hive seven or eight thousand. 
Their organization demands a more minute description. 

‘In examining the structure of the common working bee, 
the first remarkable part that offersis the trunk, whichserves 
to extract the honey from flowers. Itis not formed like 
that of other flies, in the manner of a tube, by which the 
fluid is to be sucked up, but like a brush broom to sweep, 
or a tongue to lick it away. The animal is furnished 
also with teeth which serve it in making wax. This sub- 
stance is gathered from flowers. Like honey it consists 
of that dust, or farina, which contributes to the fecunda- 
tion of plants, and is moulded into wax by the little ani- 
mal at leisure. Every bee when it leaves the hive to 
collect this precious store, enters into the cup of the flow- 
er, particularly such as seem charged with the greatest 
| quantities of this yellow farina. As the animal’s body is — 
covered over with hair, it rolls itself within the flower, and 


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im 
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340 THE BEE. 


soon becomes quite covered with the dust, which it soon 
after brushes off, with its two hind legs, and kneads into 
two little balls. In the thighs of the hind legs there are 

two cavities edged with hair, and into these as intoa bas- _ 
ket the animal sticks its pellets. ‘Thus employed the 
bee flies from flower to flower, increasing its store and 
adding to its stock of wax, until the ball upon ea h thigh 
becomes as big as a grain of pepper. By this time, hav- 
ing got a sufficient load, it returns, making the best of its 

way to the hive. 

The belly of the bee is divided into six rings which 
sometimes shorten the body by slipping one over the other. 
It contains within it, beside the intestines, the honey bag, 
the venom bag, and the sting. The honey bag is as 
transparent as crysial, containing the honey that the bee 
has drawn from the flowers, of which the greater part is 
carried to the hive, and poured into the cells of the 
honey comb, while the remainder serves for the bee’s 
own nourishment ; for during summer it never touches 
what has been laid up for the winter. The sting which 
serves to defend this lit le animal from its enemies, is 
composed of three parts ; the sheath and two darts which 
are extremely small and penetrating. Both of the darts 
have several small parts or barbs like those of a fish- 
hook, which render the sting more painful and make the 
‘darts rankle in the wound; still however this instrument 

would be very slight did not the bee poison the wound. The 
sheath which hasa sharp point, makes the first impression 
which is followed by that of the darts, and thenthe venomous 
liquor is poured in. The sheath sometimes sticks so fast 
in the wound that the anitnal is obliged to leave it behind, 
by which the bee soon after dies, and the wound is con- 
siderably inflamed. It might at first appear well for 
mankind if the bee were without its sting ; but upon 
recollection it will be found that the little animal would 
then have too many rivalsin sharing its labor. A hun- 
dred other lazy animals, fond of honey and hating labor, 
would intrude upon the sweets of the hive, and the treat 
sure would be carried off for want of armed guardians to 
protect it. The concentric rings which compose the 
belly of the bee are of a hard horny substance and im- 


THE BEE. 341 


pervious to the sting. ‘Thus encased in coat of mail, 
they often engage for a long time in bloodless battles. 
The intervals however between the rings of the belly are 


vulnerable. In this point their attention is directed to 


their battles. And the bee which succeeds in thrusting 
its sting between these rings, lays his antagonist in an 
instant lifeless at his feet. 


GENERATION. 


‘ How numerous soever the multitude of bees may ap- 
pear in one swarm, yet they all owe their origin to a sin- 
gle parent, which is called the queen bee. It is indeed 
surprising that a single insect should in one summer give 
birth to above twenty thousand young. But upon open- 
ing her body the wonder will cease, as the number of 
eggs appearing at one time amounts to five thousand. 
This animal whose existence is of such importance to 
her subjects, may easily be distinguished from the rest, 
by her size, and the shape of her body. On her safety 
depends the whole welfare of the commonwealth, and the 
attentions paid her by all the rest of the swarm evidently 
show the dependence her subjects have upon her securi- 
ty. If this insect be carefully observed she will be seen 


_at times attended with a numerous retinue, marching from 


cell to cell, plunging the extremity of her body into 
many of them and leavirg a small egg in each. 


_ When the queen bee has deposited the number of eggs 
“necessary, in the cells, the working bees undertake the 


care of the rising posterity. They are seen to leave off 
their usual employments, to construct proper receptacles 
for eggs, or to complete those already formed. They 
purposely build little cells extremely solid, for the young, 
in which they employ a great deal of wax. Those de- 
signed for lodging the males, as was already observed, 
are larger than the rest, and those for queen bees, !argest 
of all. There is usually but one egg deposited in every 
cell. When the fecundity of the queen is such that it ex- 
ceeds the number of cells, already prepared, there are 


sometimes three or four eggs crowded together in the 


same apartment. But this is an inconvenience which 
VOL. II,— NO. XV., 29* 


342 THE BEE. 


the working bees will by no means suffer. They seem 
sensible that two young ones, stuffed up in the same cell, 
when they grew larger would but embarrass and at last 
destroy each other. ‘They therefore take care to leavea 
cell to every egg, and remove or destroy the rest. 

The single egg that is left remaining, is fixed to the 
bottom of the cell, and touches it but ina single point. 
A day or two after it is deposited, the worm is excluded 
from the shell of the egg, having the appearance of a 
maggot rolled up in aring, and lying soitly on a bed of 
whitish colored jelly, upon which also the little animal 
begins to feed. In tlhe meantime, the instant it appears, 
the working bees attend it with the most anxious and 
paternal tenderness. They furnish it every hour with a 
supply of this white substance, on which it feeds and 
lies, and watch the cell with unremitted care. ‘They are 
nurses that have greater affection for the offspring of 
others, than many parents have for their own children. 
They are constant in visiting each cell, and seeing that 
nothing is wanting ; preparing the white mixture, which 
is nothing but a composition of honey and wax, in their 
own bowels, with which they feed them, thus attended 
and plentifully fed, the worm in less than six days’ time 
comes to its full growth, and no longer accepts the food 
offered it. When the bees perceive that it has no further 
occasion for feeding, they perform the last offices of ten- 
derness, shut the little animal up in the cell, walling up 
the mouth of its apartment with wax; there they leave 
the worm to itself having secured it from every external 
injury. 

The worm is no sooner left enclosed but from a state of 
inaction it begins to labor, extending and shortening its 
body and by this means lining the walls of its apartment 
with a silken tapestry which it spins in the manner of 
caterpillars before they undergo their last transformation. 

When their cell is thus prepared, the animal is soon 
after transformed into an aurelia: but differing from that 
of the common caterpillar, as it exhibits not only the legs, 
but the wings of the future bee, in its present state of in- 
activity. Thus, in about twenty or one and twenty days 
after the egg was laid, the bee is completely formed, and 


THE BEE. 343 


fitted to undergo the fatigues of its state. When all is; 
parts have acquired their proper strength and consistence, 
the young animal opens its prison, by piercing with its 
teeth the waxen door that confines it. When just freed 
from its cell, it is as yet moist, and incommoded with the 
spoils of its former situation: but the officious bees are 
soon seen to flock round it, and to lick it clean on all 
sides with their trunks; while another band with equal 
assiduity, are observed to feed it with honey ; others 
again begin immediately to cleanse the cell that has just 
been left, to carry the ordures out of the hive, and to fit 
the place for a new inhabitant. The young bee soon re- 
pays their care by its industry ; for as soon as ever its ex- 
ternal parts become dry it discovers its natural appetites 
for labor, and industriously begins the task, which it 
pursues unremittingly through life. The toil of man is 
irksome to him, and he earns his substance with pain ; 
but this little animal seems happy in its pursuits, and finds 
delight in all its employments. 

When just freed from the cell, and properly equipped 
by its fellow bees for duty, it at once issues from the hive, 
and instructed only by nature, goes in quest of flowers, 
chooses only those that yield it a supply, rejects such as 
are barren of honey, or have been already drained by 
other adventurers ; and when loaded, is never at a loss to 
find its way back to the common habitation. After this 
first sally, it begins to gather the mealy powder that lies 
on every flower, which is afterwards converted into wax ; 
and with this the very first day it returns with two large 
balls stuck to its thighs.’ 

The fertility of the queen mother is prodigious. It is 
said that during one season a single female will lay from 
70,000, to 100,000 eggs. Two or three distinct colonies 
are often formed in one summer. It appears from repeat- 
ed experiments, that the love of offspring is the great 
motive which spurs them onto labor. ‘Take away froma 
hive the queen bee, and you put all effectual stop to in- 
dustry. Notasingle cell is constructed; not a particle 
of honey is stored up. Reaumur* tried this experiment 


* A celebrated French philosopher born at Rochelle, in 1683. 
He wrote largely upon insects, and his works upon philosophy and 


344 -THE BEE. 


in various ways. He divided a swarm, leaving the queen 
bee, with one part, and leaving the other part without a 
female. Both parts were placed in commodious hives, 
but those without a queen appeared to surrender them- 
selves toindolence and despair. The brightest day could 
lure but few of them to the fields. ‘Those who went, re- 
turned with no stores to the hive; their only object appear- 
ed to be,to satisfy the immediate cravings of hunger. 
Inaction and famine spread fatal diseases through their 
desolate dwelling, and every morning found the bottom of 
the hive covered with the lifeless remains of those who 
had fallen during the night. Daily their numbers dimin- 
ished, and at the close of three weeks scarcely one thou- 
sand were left alive, and the whole of these were one 
morning found dead inthe bottom of the hive. There 
is something truly tragical in their mournful history. 
That part of the swarm however with whom the queen 
bee was left, immediately commenced persevering and 
vigorous efforts in the construction of cells forthe young 
and for depositing honey. ‘lhe Jaborers were continual- 
ly returning with their little thighs laden with the rich 
treasure, and the whole hive assumed the aspect of cheer- 
fulness and of thriving industry. The prospect of off- 
spring appeared to animate all. From repeated experi- 
ments of this nature Reaumur concludes, that ‘ we are 
only sure of one principle of action among bees — the love 
for their queen, or rather the numerous posterity to which 
she is to give birth. Each bee is actuated either by a sen- 
sation which has in view the welfare of all, or by the love 
of posterity. Whether they construct cells or most care- 
fully polish them, or labor to gather a harvest of honey, 
it is never directly for themselves. This may appear 
somewhat paradoxical to those who have remarked that 
at the end of the winter, the bees consume the honey 
they had stored up in the spring and summer. But the 
experiments just detailed show, that the moment they 
lose the hope of anumerous progeny, they cease to gath- 
er the food which is necessary for their own preservation ; 


physics, have given hima high rank among the literati of the 
world. He died 1757. 


THE BEE. 345 


life seems to them of no value, when unsupported by this 
hope, and so they choose to die. The love of offspring 
appears to be therefore the all moving principle.’ The 
same experiment has been tried by others and always 
with similar results. 

After the egg of the common working bee is deposit- 
ed, three days elapses before it assumes the vermicular 
state. After remaining in this state five days the cell is 
closed up with a covering of wax. When thus covered 
and protected, the embryo insect is not idle, but Jabors 
diligently at the distaff, spinning the cocoon. This is a 
labor of thirtysix hours. In three days it changes toa 
nymph and passes six days in this form. And it is not 
until the twentieth day from the time the egg was laid, 
that it attains the fly state. The progress of the royal 
worm through the various stages of its infancy is rather 
more rapid. In sixteen days from the time that the egg 
- was deposited on its princely couch, the perfect state of 
queen is attained. The male wormor drone is meta- 
morphosed into a fly on the twentyfourth day after the 
egg is laid. ‘One of the most astonishing facts connect- 
ed with the economy of bees, is the manner in which, 
when deprived of their queen, they proceed to repair 
their loss; for this purpose they construct several of these 
royal cells, and taking a common worker worm out of the 
common c¢el!s, they put it intoa royal one, feed the in- 
sect with royal food, which is more pungent than that 
destined for worker grubs, and in a few days instead ofa 
worker they havea queen. This extraordinary discov- 
ery made by Shiruch, has been confirmed by Huber, 
and is now admitted by all naturalists. In many parts of 
Germany, and more especially in Sasatia and Saxony, 
the peasants availing themselves of this discovery, are 
enabled to multiply their swarms of bees at pleasure; 
they shut up a few hundred working bees, with a piece 
of honey comb, containing common grubs, three or four 
days old; the worker bees immediately set about de- 
stroying some of the common cells ; construct royal cells 
in their state; deposit the grubs in those cells and ad- 
minister to them food proper for grubs destined to become 
queens. This experiment is constantly repeated and 


346 THE BEE. 


never found to fail. In the proper time a number of 
young queens is produced. The supernumeraries are des- 
troyed; and at length only one survives to govern the 
hive. Thus wonderfully does nature provide for the 
preservation of the species — the life of thousands of these 
insects depending on that of a queen. In order to 
guard against the possibility of extermination, she has 
taught the bee the miracle of converting the whole of 
the instincts and organization of one kind into those of 
another, by the simple means of providing a different and 
a more pungent kind of food for the subject of its mar- 
vellous experiment. There seems, however, to be a 
natural provision for this change ; for it is found that all 
the workers are imperfect females, whose organs are not 
developed ; the food simply furthers this development. 
But whether we look to the design or the means used, or 
the circumstances under which it is affected, it is one of 
the most striking facts in the whole range of natural 
history. 


“CONSTRUCTION OF CELLS. 


_'The skill in architecture which these little insects 
display, even surpasses what would be anticipated from 
previous manifestation of sagacity. One would suppose 
that their native instinct would guide them toa uniform 
mode of constructing their cells. But they are not thus 
restricted. Governed by circumstances, they appear to 
take into consideration the form and size of the hive and 
to arrange and construct their cells ina manner most 
suitable to the existing case. Indeed no man in the 
plan of his own commodious house, can give more deci- 
sive evidence of study and design than is exhibited in 
the interior arrangements of the dwellings of the bees. 
‘Their little city is laid out into numerous convenient 
‘streets and lanes, and their blocksof buildings are never 
permitted to project into the high-way, or to run in zig- 
zag lines, obstructing the throngs of laborers who are 
continually passing and repassing in the performance of 
their appropriate duties. What is called the honey comb, 
is composed of two layers of six sided cells, united by 


“ THE BEE. 347 


their bases. The combs are longer or shorter as best 
suits their convenience. ‘Reaumur suspected from the 
hexagonal form of the cells, and the uniform inclination 
of the base, that this was the most economical form which 
could be adopted with respect to the quantity of wax 
necessary. Without intimating his object, he presented 
for sclution the following problem to Koenig, a celebra- 
ted analyst, ‘‘ among all the hexagonal tubes with pyramid- 
dal bases, composed of three similar and equal rhombs, 
to determine that which can be constructed with the 
least possible quantity of matter.” ‘Koenig worked out 
the problem, and replied that if three rhombs were so in- 
clined to each other that the great angles measured 109° 
26’ and the little angles 70° 34’, this construction would 
require the least quantity of matter. Reaumur found 
by accurate measurement, that the great angles gave 
109° 28’ and the little one 70° 32’! How surprisingly 
is the wisdom of God manifested in endowing these in- 
sects with a wisdom surpassing that of many of even the 
wisest of the human family. 

It is stated by Huber, that the principle of a division 
of labor is adopted very extensively in all the opera- 
tions of the hive. In constructing cells, different parts 
of the labor are performed by different bees. Some ap- 
pear to be highly accomplished architects, who plan and 
build the edifice. ‘They. are also the nurses and protec- 
tors of the young. Others seem to labor in more hum- 
ple employments, and merely bring the raw material. 

The wax is not a simple substance which the bees col- 
lect ready formed, but it is a secretion from their own 
bodies. The wax workers having fed plentifully upon 
the delicious nectar which they find in the cups of al- 
most every flower, remain in a state of repose for about 
twentyfour hours, during which time the wax is formed 
and secreted in layers or scales beneath the belly. ‘These 
scales they take hold of with the little pincers with which 
their legs are furnished, and peel off. The bee then 
kneads the detached scale with its tongue and deposits it 
in the proper place for the formation of the cells. Another 
andanother does the same. A little block of wax being 
thus collected, an architect takes the work under his own 


348 THE BEE. 


care, and with his tongue for a trowel, he moulds his 
materials into the proper form, and with unwearied dili- 
gence smooths and polishes his beautiful edifice. Though 
the labor, for these little insects, is immense, yet the work 
progresses with great expedition, for all are diligent in 
contributing their mite. One wax worker after another 
deposites his tiny burden, and there are many busy laborers 
on the alert fashioning the raw material into the proper 
form. The hive of the bee affords a most beautiful illus- 
tration of what may be accomplished by persevering 
industry. 

Goldsmith, who has given fascination to every subject 
his pen has touched, thus vividly describes this inter- 
esting department of the bee’s labor. 

‘If we examine their cells they will be found formed in 
the exactest proportion. It was said by Pappus, an 
ancient geometrician, that of all other figures hexa- 
gons were the most convenient, for when placed touch- 
ing each other the most convenient room would be given 
and the smallest lost. The cells of the bees are perfect 
hexagons. These, in every honey-comb, are double, 
opening on either side, closed at the bottom. The bot- 
toms are composed of little triangular panes, which when 
united together terminate in a point and lie exactly 
upon the extremitics of other panes of the same shape 
in opposite cells. ‘These lodgings have spaces like streets 
between them large enough to give the bees a free pass- 
age in and out, and yet narrow enough to preserve 
the necessary heat. The mouth of every cellis defend- 
ed by a border, which makes the door a little less than 
the inside of thecell. It serves to strengthen the whole. 
These cells serve for different purposes: for laying up 
their young; for their wax, which in winter becomes 
a part of their food; and for their honey, which makes 
their principal subsistence. 

Their teeth are the instruments by which .they model 
and fashion their various buildings and give them such 
symmetry and perfection. They begin at the top of the 
hive and several of them work at a time at, the cells, 
which have two faces. If they are stinted with regard to 


THE BEE. 349 


time they give the new cells but half the depth, which 
they ought tohave, leaving them imperfect till they have 
sketched out the number of cells necessary for the pre- 
sent occasion. The construction of their combs costs 
them a great deal of labor. They are made by insensi- 
ble additions, and not cast at once ina mould as some are 
apt to imagine. There seems no end to their shaping, 
finishing and turning them neatly up. ‘Che cells for 
their young are most carefully formed. Those designed 
for lodging the drones are lower than the rest, and that 
for the queen bee the largest of all. The cells in which 
the young brood are Jodged, serve at different times for 
containing honey ; and this proceeds from an obvious 
cause: every worm before it is transformed into an aure- 
lia, hangs its old skin on the partition of its cell, and thus 
while it stre: gthens the wall diminishes the capacity of its 
late apartment. The same cell in a single summer is often 
tenanted by three or four worms in succession, and the 
next season by three or four more. Each worm takes 
particular care to fortify the pannelsof its cell by hang- 
ing upits spoils there. Thus the partitions being lined 
six or eight deep, become at last too narrow for a new 
brood, and are converted into store-houses for honey. 
Those cells, where nothing but honey is deposited, are 
much deeper than the rest. When the harvest of honey 
is so pleniiful that they have not sufficient room for it, 
they either lengthen their combs or build more, w iich 
are much larger than the former. Sometimes they work 
at three combs at atime, for when there are three 
work-houses, more bees may be thus employed without 
embarrassing each other. 


SWARMING OF BEES. 


The departure of a colony from the parent hive to seek 
their fortunes and a home for themselves, is a most sin- 
gular and interesting phenomena. Different opinions 
have been expressed upon this subject by naturalists, who 
have paid much attention in investigating the habits of 
the bee. Early in the spring the front of the hive is 
ofien seen for several days, perfectly covered with bees, 

VOL, II.— NO. Xv. 30 


300 THE BEE. 


as though the interior was too narrow for the thronging 
population. They appear moving about as in a state of 
indecision, till finally on some pleasant morning, a queen. 
Bee followed by seven or eight thousand subjects, emerges 
from the hive, and after fluttering about for a few mo- 
ments, as though bidding their home a lingering adieu, 
or waiting for any stragglers who may be disposed to 
join their party, they take a high and rapid flight ina 
direct line in search of anew abode. It has generally 
been supposed that the young swarm, headed by the 
youthful queen, compose this colony. But it is now 
pretty well established that it is a promiscuous assem- 
blage of old and young bees, headed by the old queen, 
and that she leaves the sceptre of the hive to her youthful 
daughter, who at the moment of her birth becomes her 
enemy and rival. 

There is a most deadly animosity subsisting between 
the female bees. Sometimes there are as many as twenty 
royal cells in a hive, in each of which the queen deposits 
an egg, which does not differ in appearance from those 
placed in the other cells. In size it is a little larger. 
The instinctive animosity of the queen mother does not 
however manifest itself against her female progeny, till 
the worm is transformed into anymph. Still the working 
bees appear to be conscious of the danger to which their 
young females are exposed from maternal malice, and a 
strong body guard is continually stationed at each royal 
cell. The sight of these cells appears to give the queen 
mother the excitement of delirium. She rushes with 
infuriated haste to the yet unopened cradles of her chil- 
dren, her submissive subjects retiring before her, and 
unchecked she barbarously murders her offspring. But 
her impetuosity is too great to be long cuntinued. Hav- 
ing torn away from two or three of the cells the thick 
coating of wax, which protects the infant queens, she 
becomes exhausted, and is unable to proceed any farther, 
in her inhumanemployment. ‘The excitement, however, 
which she has manifested, is communicated to others 
and soon spreads through the hive. All seem to be in up- 
roar and confusion, and the old queen driven away by jea- 
lousy or fear, and followed by a large portion of her sub- 


THE BEE. 351 


jects, rushes from the hive, and leaves her empire to the 
undisputed possession of her hated daughters. It is said 
that in every instance it is the old queen which leads the 
first swarm. 

The multiplication of bees is so immense that it is 
absolutely a matter of necessity that large parties should 
continually emigrate. It is said that the young ones 
remain at home as long as the hive is sufficiently large, to 
accommodate them. ‘The provision of nature to accom- 
plish this end is singular. ‘To see passion and cruelty 
raging through all the brute creation, is one of those 
mysteries which remain as yet unfolded. We should 
have anticipated an affectionate, or at least a peaceful 
and a good natured departure. But it is the hatred of 
the mother for her daughters which drives the queen 
from her hive, and she goes imbrued with the blood of 
her children. We can see the wisdom of the object to be 
attained but the means, by which God has seen fit to have 
this object accomplished, are to us dark and mysterious. 
The cruelty which is raging through the animal creation, 
is one of the unfathomable mysteries of earth. 

For several days before the young ones swarm, it is 
not unusual to see them hanging in thick and black clus- 
ters about the hive, asif there were not sufficient room 
for them within. This is undoubtedly the case, yet in 
wet weather they contrive to stow themselves away, 
though the lanes and alleys of their little city must be 
greatly crowded, by this immense population. 

About six or seven thousand compose the average num- 
ber of aswarm. In this number there is but one female, 
the queen bee, several males or drones, who do not work, 
and the common laboring bees. Before leaving the hive 
they supply themselves liberally with food as though pre- 
paring for along journey. ‘They usually set off from the 
hive about the middle of the day, and often immediately 
after ashower. In what manner they communicate’their 
ideas so as to move simultaneously, it is difficult to 
imagine, but they are clearly actuated by some common 
principle. ‘They hover a few moments about the hive as 
though waiting for any tardy straggler, and then with 
rapid wing turn from home, the wide world before them. 


Oo2 THE BEE. 


They take their flight high in the air, and sometimes 
proceed toa great distance. Often every effort of the 
owner of the hive to stop the swarm is unavailing, and 
they depart never to be seen again. More frequently 
however they light upon the limb of a tree or some other 
such object at no great distance from the hive. It is 
said that any noise which will drown the hum of their 
leader, will so confuse them that they are compelled 
immediately to alight. Hence you often perceive a 
swarm of bees pursued with all the noises which shovels 
and tongs, tin pans, &c, can produce. If they are not in- 
duced to alight, and collect into a new hive, they seek 
out some hollow tree, and there commence the formation 
of comb. If the orifice is too large, they build a thick 
coating of comb until it is made of suitable dimensions. 
As soon as they have selected their habitation they im- 
mediately begin to make their combs, for they carry the 
materials for this purpose from their parent hive. Hav- 
ing repaired their new habitation without delay, they com- 
mence their industrious labors. Every department of 
business thrives under their harmonious and well organ- 
ized efforts. In warm weather one strong hive has been 
known to send off four swarms in eighteen days. 


DOMESTIC HABITS. 


e Bees generally perform their labors in a peaceful man- 
ner without interfering with each other’s rights. But 
sometimes they prefer to obtain their honey by stealth 
rather than by honest labor. Occasionally the inhabitants | 
of two hives, will wage against each other most implacable 
war. ‘I'he whole summer is passed in cruel and deadly 
contest, and the ground in front of the hives may be 
seen covered with the bodies ofthe slain. I have watch- 
ed these furious battles with amazement. Two bees 
would meet with all the spite and fury imaginable in 
such little creatures. With mouth and sting they would 
make most vigorous efforts. Apparently unmindful of 
everything else, they would mount high into the air, in 
the contest, or roll over inthe dust in deadly embrace. 
Their stings might be seen glancing from the coat of 


THE BEE. 353 


mail, with which their bodies are encased, till one suc- 
ceeds in suffocating the other by pressing its chest, or 
adroitly thrusts its sting between the scales of its body 
and thus instantly deprives it of life. In this. insect 
commonwealth, generally so well governed, murder passes 
unpunished, and their private disputes are limmediately 
settled by an appeal toarms. ‘On those fine spring days 
in which the sun is beautiful and warm, duels may often 
be seen to take place between two inhabitants of the same 
hive, the offspring of the same mother. ‘he causes which 
bring division into so united a society have not been hither- 
to ascertained. In some cases the quarrel appears to have 
begun within, and the combatants may be seen coming 
outof the gates eager ‘ for blows.’ Sometimes a bee peac- 
ably settled on the outside of the hive, or walking about, is 
rudely jostled by another, and then the attack commences, 
each endeavoring to obtain the most advantageous position: 
They turn, pirouette, throttle each other ; and such is their 
bitter earnestness that Reaumur has been enabled to 
come near enough to observe them witha lens, without 
causing a separation. After rolling about in the dust, the 
victor, watching the time when its enemy uncovers his 
body, by elongating it in the attempt to sting, thrusts its 
weapon between the scales, and the next instant its an- 
tagonist stretches out its quivering limbs and expires. 
A bee cannot be killed so suddenly, except by crushing, 
as by the sting of another bee. Sometimes the stron- 
ger insect produces the death of the vanquished by 
squeezing its chest. After this feat has been done, 
the victorious bee constantly remains, says Reaumur 
near his victim, standing on his four front legs and rub- 
bing the two posterior ones together. Sometimes the en- 
emy is killed in the hive ; then the victor always car- 
ries the corpse out of the city and leaves it. These 
combats are strictly duels, not more than two being con- 
cerned in them ; and this is even the case when armies 
of bees meet in combat.’ 

Highly as we may applaud the industry of the bee, its 
honesty after all, is rather questionable. In moral in- 


VOL. Il. —NO. XV. 30* 


304 THE BEE. 


tegrity it must be confessed they are at times very lax. 
Like piratic coasters, these relentless insects, will some- 
times overtake a rich merchantman of a humblebee, and 
they will not let him depart till they have relieved him of 
his rich stores. It is indeed amusing, — though you can- 
not help compassionating the poor humblebee, — to see 
four or five of these nimble highway robbers, mauling 
and pommelling their awkward and clumsy victim, till 
they have compelled him to relinquish every particle of 
the honey, he has been so laboriously gathering. They 
then liberate him to return to his labors under the dis- 
couraging anticipation of being again in like manner 
pilfered of whatever he may collect. 

Though the honey bee appears to have no antipathy 
to fraud, he is the inveterate enemy of idleness. The 
lazy drones.are permitted to live during the summer 
months, when every flower is laden with its sweet trea- 
sures, but as soon as autumn comes, and the bees must 
be sustained during the winter upon what they have 
been able to collect in the summer, the then useless 
drones are murdered. ‘They seem to adopt most rigidly 
the sentiment, ‘ If any one will not work neither let 
him eat.’ "The drones are born in April or May. For 
a few wecks, they live in genteel luxuriance, but in Au- 
gust they are ingiscriminately massacred. Huber who has 
with great dilmsence and perseverance studied the hab- 
its of this insect observed one day the commencement and 
the termination of this cruel slaughter.- As the drones are 
unarmed they have no safety but in flight. ‘The rage of 
the whole hive seemed to be simultaneously roused. 
The drones fled in terror ; but overpowered by numbers 
escape became impossible, and they were all soon stretch- 
ed lifeless upon the bottom of the hive. And what is 
very remarkable, in six different hives, this work of ex- 
termination was going on atthe same hour. It is not 
unusual for some of the workers also to be included in 
the list of proscription ; obnoxious in consequence of old 
age or somne other cause unknown to us, their associates 
put them out of existence. 

‘ Among other virtues possessed by bees, cleanliness is 
one of the most marked: they will not suffer the least 


THE BEE. 355 


filth in their abode. It sometimes happens that an ill 
advised slug, or an ignorant snail, chooses to enter the 
hive, and has even the audacity to walk over the comb; 
the presumptuous and foul intruder is quickly killed. 
But his gigantic carcase is not so speedily moved. Una- 
ble to transport the corpse out of their dwelling, and fear- 
ing the noxious smells arising from corruption, the bees 
adopt an efficacious mode of protecting themselves; they 
embalm their offensive enemy by covering him over with 

ropolis; both Muraldi and Reaumur have seen this. 

“he latter observed that a snail had just entered a hive 
and fixed itself to the glass side, just as it does against 
walls, unti! the rain shall invite it to thrust out its head 
beyond its shell. The bees it seems did not like the 
interloper, and not being able to penetrate the shell with 
their sting, took a hint from the snail itself, and instead 
of covering it all over with propolis, the cunning econo- 
mists fixed it immovably by cementing merely the edge 
of the orifice of the shell tothe glass with their resin, and 
thus it became a prisoner for life, for rain cannot dissolve 
this cement, as it does that which the insect itself uses.’ 


BEE HUNTING. 


In many parts of the world bees are found in great 
numbers in the woods. In the unbroken forests of our 
own country honey is found in great abundance, and 
there are men called bee hunters, who make a living by 
obtaining the treasures of their hives. In the forest of 
Maine, it is notan uncommon amusement for young lads 
to go through the woods in quest of bees. <A boy will 
take a small box of honey in his hand and a little flour in 
a paper, and walk along till he finds upon some wild flow- 
er a honey bee. He opens his box, and the bee allured 
by the fragrance of the honey, immediately seeks a sup- 
ply from its abundance. While the bee is feeding the 
boy carefully sprinkles upon it a little flour. As soon as 
the bee has obtained its load, it sets out in a direct line 
for the hive. The boy watches the direction of its flight 
and quietly sits down and waits its return. By and by 
the bee returns, bringing others with him. ‘The boy 


» 


306 THE BEE. 

identifies the insect, by the flour which he has sprinkled 
upon its back, and judges of the distance of the hive, by 
the time it has taken the bee to go toit, and return. An 
experienced bee hunter, will in this manner judge with 
great accuracy. ‘The boy having thus ascertained the 
direction of the hive, and having formed some estimate 
of its distance, proceeds till he supposes he has gone 
far enough, and then if he does not find the hive he 
again seeks a bee and repeats the experiment. Perhaps 
the next bee he finds flies in a very different direction 
from the first. This informs him that the second bee 
belongs to some other hive. And thus he has the trace 
of two hives. By one or two such experiments he is al- 
most invariably conducted to the treasure for which he is 
insearch. Having found the hive, he marks the place and 
returns home. ‘Sometimes the honey hunters, set a 
plate of honey or sugar upon the ground, and in a short 
time this is discovered by the wild bees. Having caught 
two or three of those that have taken their fill, the hun- 
ter first releases one, which rising into the air, flies 
straight to the nest. He now walks at right angles to 
the course of the bee, for a few hundred yards, and then 
lets another go, which also after rising, flies to the nest. 
Observing with his pocket compass, the angle where the 
two lines formed by the two courses of the bees meet, 
there he knows will be the spot, at which the nest is 
placed.’ 

A few years ago I was in the north-western part of the 
state of Maine, and hearing of a party who were going 
out to take a nest, which had previously been found, I 
accompaniedthem. Four or five men with axes and 
pails, and materials for striking fire, set out in a damp 
and cloudy afternoon. Afier groping our way over 
stumps and logs and through thick woods for about a mile, 
we came to an old and partially decayed tree of unusual 
size. One of the men pointing towards the top of the 
tree, said, ‘‘ there’s the nest.”” About thirty feet from the 
ground [| could just perceive a few bees hovering about 
the hole through which they found their way into the 
hollow of the decayed tree. Having decided in what 


THE BEE. 357 


direction it would be best to fell the tree, two men com- 
menced with their axes at its root. As one stroke suc- 
ceeded another the bees seemed a little alarmed, but they 
did not come down to offer any resistance. While two 
were cutting down the tree, others were collecting large 
strips of birch-bark for torches. Just as the tree was 
ready to fall two or three stood ready with their birch- 
bark flambeaux, and at the moment the tree fell, they ran 
to the hole from which the bees were rushing, and burnt 
them down as fast as possible. The bees however were 
in spite of their torches, flying thickly about, and making 
a most desperate resistance. All the men were stung 
more or less, but they did not seem to mind the bees 
more than a swarm of flies. Very soon the ground was 
covered with the poor little insects crawling about with 
their wings singed off. ‘The bees seemed now perfectly 
satisfied that resistance was in vain, and with a prudence - 
which was perfectly amazing, they gave up the contest. 
‘The men very soon split open the tree and exposed the 
honey to view. ‘lhe comb was stil] covered with thou- 
sands of the insects, who were endeavoring to save all 
that they could from the dreadful ruin of their happy 
home. Much as I loved honey [ could not restrain a 
feeling of sincere compassion. And I would gladly 
have seen the tree again erected, and the bees in the un- 
troubled enjoyment of their well earned stores. A man 
would take up a large piece of comb, and with his bare 
hand, brush off the thousand of bees collected upon it. 
Soon the honey was all deposited in the pails, and our 
party returned triumphantly home with their booty. The 
poor bees were left, some to seek another home, and 
others to linger and die in protracted agonies on the 
ground. In this way immense quantities of honey are 
every year taken. And thisis generally the only reward 
the bee receives for the long labors of the summer. In 
the autumn we suffocate them with the fumes of sulphur, 
and ourselves revel upon the sweets which they had col- 
lected for their winter stores. 


008 THE BEE. 


MANAGEMENT OF BEES. 


Tt is agreed by the most judicious observers, that the 
apiary, or place where bees are kept, should face the 
south, and be situated in a place neither too hot nor too 
much exposed to the cold; that it be near the mansion 
house, on account of the convenience of watching them ; 
but so situated as not to be exposed to neisome smells, 
or the din of men or cattle; that it be surrounded with 
a wall, which however should not rise above three feet 
high; that if possible a running stream be near,them ; 
or if that cannot be, that water be brought near them in 
troughs, as they cannot produce either combs, honey or 
food for their maggots without water ; and that the gar- 
den in which the apiary stands be well furnished with 
such plants as afford bees plenty of good pasture. Furse, 
broom, mustard, clover, heath, &&c, have been found ex- 
cellent for this purpose. Hives have been made of dif- 
ferent materials, and in different forms, according to the 
fancy of different ages and countries. Not only straw, 
which experience now proves to be rather preferable to 
anything else, but wood, horn, glass, &c, have been used 
for the construction of them. Single box hives, however, 
when properly made, answer very well, and when painted 
Jast long. ‘They have several advantages above straw 
hives ; they are quite cleanly and stand upright; they are 
proof against mice and are cheaper in the end, for one 
box will last as long as three of them. They are how- 
ever rather colder in winter ; but a proper covering will 
prevent all danger from that quarter. Straw hives are 
easiest obtained at first, and have been used and recom- 
mended by the best of bee-masters. If the swarm be 
early and large, it will require a large hive, butif other- 
wise, the hive should be proportionally less. If the 
bees appear to want more room it can easily be enlarged 
by putting a roll or two below it; but if it be heavy 
enough for a stock-hive, it will do although it should not 
be quite full of combs. Any person (says Mr Bonner) 
who intends to erect an apiary, must take particular care _ 
to have it filled with proper inhabitants. He must be 
particularly attentive to this, as all his future profit and 


THE BEE. 359 


pleasure, or loss and vexation, will in general depend 
upon it. He must, therefore, pay the utmost attention to 
‘the choice of his stock-hives; for the man who takes 
care to keep good stock-hives will gain considerable by 
them, but he who keeps bad ones will, besides a great 
deal of trouble and little or no success, soon become a 
broken bee-master. In September every stock-hive 
ought to contain as much honey as will supply the bees 
with food till June following, and as many bees as will 
preserve heat in the hive, and therefore resist the severity 
of a cold winter, and act as so many valiant soldiers, to 
defend the community from the invasion of foreign ene- 
mies in the spring. ‘They should be full of combs, and 
well stored with bees and honey, and should weigh at least 
30 pounds each; if heavier, so much the better ; for light 
hives run a great risk of perishing by famine, unless the 
bees are well supplied with food, whereas a well chosen 
hive of 30 pounds weight, allowing 12 pounds for the 
empty hive, comb, bees, &c will contain 18 pounds of 
honey, which will supply the bees with food till June; a 
time when it may be presumed they will find abundance 
of provision for themselves among the flowers. When a 
choice can be obtained, the youngest hive should always 
be preferred, because old hives are liable to vermin and 
other accidents. But although a hive should be four or 
five years old, it should not be rejected, if it possess 
these two essential qualities, plenty of bees, and plenty 
of honey. | 


AGENTS 


FOR THE 


SCIENTIFIC TRACTS. 


MAINE. 

} Portland, Samuel Colman. 
‘Hallowell, C. Spaulding. 
Augusta, Brinsmade & Dale. 
Bangor, B. Nourse. 

Belfast, NV. P. Hawes. 
fl. S. Favor, 

Eastport, B. Folsom. 

Norway, Asa Barton. 


NEW HAMPSHIRE. 
Edmund I. Lane, 


Daeen; S. C. Stevens. 
Hanover, Thomas Mann. 
Concord, Horatio Hill & “Co. 
Keene, George Tilden. 
Portsmouth, John W. Shepard, 
VERMONT. 
Burlington, CC. Goodrich. 
Brattleboro’, Geo. H. Peck. 
Windsor, Simeon Ide. 


Montpelier, J. S. Walton. 
Bellows Falls, James I. Cutler & Co. 
Rutland, Hawkes & White. 


Middlebury, Jonathan Hagar. 

Castleton, B. Burt 2d. 

St Albans, L. L. Dutcher. 

Chester, Charles Whipple. 
MASSACHUSETTS. 

Salem, Whipple & Lawrence. 

Newburyport, Churles Whipple. 


T.B. E L. White. 
Northampton? S. Butler & Son. 


Andover, MM. Newman. 
Amherst, J.S. & C. Adams, 
Worcester, , Dorr & Howland. 


aes Thomas Dickman. 
Springfield, ; Merriam, Little & Co. 
New Bedford, Wm C Tubor. 


Methuen, J. W. Carlton & Co. 
Brookfield, E. Merriam & Co. 
Plymouth, W. S. Bartelet, 
Lowell, Meacham & Mathewson 


RUODE ISLAND. 

é Corey & Brown 
Providence, AS. Beckwith 
CONNECTICUT. 

H.& F.J. Huntington 
A. H. Maltby 


Hartford, 
New Haven, 


PUBLISHED BY CARTER AND HENDEER. 


Corner of Washington and School Streets. 


t. Ry BUTTS; 


Norwich, Thomas Robinson. 
Middletown, Edwin Hunt. 
NEW YORK. 
New York, Charles S. Francis. 
Albany, Little § Cummings. 
Canandaigua, Bemis & Wurd. 
Troy, W. S. Parker. 
Utica, Edward Vernon. 
Rochester, E. Peck & Co. 
Buttalo, R. W. Haskins. 
NEW JERSEY. 
Newark, Wm Worts, 
Trenton, D. Fenton. 
PENNSYLVANIA. 
Philadelphia, Thomas T' Ash. 
MARYLAND, 
Baltimore, To Lucas. 


y § 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 
Washingtun, Thompson & Homans. 
Georgetown, James Thomas. 

VIRGINIA. 
Fredericksburg, Wm. F. Gray, P. M. 
OHIO. 


Phillips, Spear §& Drake 


Cincimnetly |) 0: Bradgoed Mele 

Columbus, I. N. Whiting. 
KEN1UCKY. 

Louisville, Morton & Smith. 
TENNESSEE 

Nashville, Kichbaum & Norvell. 
MISSISSIPPI. 

Natches, F. Beaumont. 


SOUTH CAROLINA. 
Ebenezer Thayer. 
Charleston, 6. A. Roorbach, 
Cherau, Dr Maynard, 
NORTH CAROLINA. 


Raleigh, Turner & Hughes. 
ALABAMA. 

Mobile, | Odiorne & Smith. 
LOUISIANA. 


New Orleans, Mary Carroll. 
MICHIGAN TERRITORY. 
Detroit, 


CANAD 
Montreal, H. H. Cuantnabioks 
Quebec, Neilson § Cowan. 
ENGLAND. 
London John Marden. 


PRIN TER. 


* * Terms—24 Numbers a year, at ONE DOLLAR AND FIFTY 


CENTS — payable in advance. 


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